Bengals remain undefeated at home with 42-28 win over Colts

Andy Dalton regained his passing touch on a wintery afternoon, keeping the Cincinnati Bengals firmly in control of the AFC North.

Dalton threw for three touchdowns and ran for another on Sunday, giving his best performance since October, and the Cincinnati Bengals remained perfect at home with a 42-28 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bengals (9-4) improved to 6-0 at Paul Brown Stadium on a cold, windy day - 28 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill of 19 and light flurries.

Dalton threw for three touchdowns as the Bengals went up 21-0 and stayed ahead. His 8-yard run finished it off in the fourth quarter. Dalton was 24 of 35 for 275 yards without a sack or interception.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs - one of them on a review that overturned a call - as the Bengals piled up 430 yards.

The Colts (8-5) had another slow start in the cold, falling behind 21-0 before Andrew Luck threw four touchdown passes to keep them close. They never caught up as Dalton got the better of a head-to-head matchup of up-and-coming quarterbacks from Texas.

Despite the loss, the Colts were in position to clinch the AFC South later Sunday if Tennessee lost at Denver.

Indianapolis is in good shape but has some concerns. The Colts were drubbed 40-11 in Arizona two games ago and needed Adam Vinatieri's five field goals to beat Tennessee 22-14 last week.

The Bengals are having their best season at home since 1988, when they won all eight regular-season home games and two playoff games on the way to a second Super Bowl appearance and loss to San Francisco.

They're in position to clinch their first AFC North title since 2009 with two home games in the last three weeks.

Dalton was the AFC's offensive player of the month for October, but has been inconsistent since then. He was sharp from the outset on Sunday, completing 6 of 7 for 81 yards on the Bengals' first drive, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones.

The Colts have been outscored 49-9 in the first quarters of their past six games.

The Bengals got a pivotal touchdown on a reversed call with 1:06 left in the first half.

They went for it on fourth down from the Colts 1-yard line, and Green-Ellis tripped and his knee hit at the 1 before he stretched into the end zone.

He was initially ruled down - he started tripping after nose tackle Josh Chapman dived and swiped at his foot - but the officials overturned the call, deciding Green-Ellis had tripped on his own.

Trailing 21-0, Luck finally rallied the Colts.

He completed a slant pass that Da'Rick Rogers took 69 yards for a touchdown and another short pass that LaVon Brazill turned into a 19-yard touchdown, slipping through the hands of six defenders.

Dalton and the Bengals never let the Colts get closer than seven points.

Both teams reconfigured their offensive lines because of injuries. Cincinnati's had a good day in the cold. Dalton wasn't sacked, and Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard ran for a combined 147 yards.

BENGALS LOSE 6-17. Week 4: Bengals at Browns: The Bengals travel to Cleveland to play the Browns on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.

BENGALS WIN 13-6. Week 5: Patriots at Bengals: The New England Patriots come to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

BENGALS WIN 27-24 in OT. Week 6: Bengals at Bills: The Bengals play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.

BENGALS WIN 27-24. Week 7: Bengals at Lions: The Bengals travel to Detroit to play the Lions on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.

BENGALS WIN 49-9. Week 8: Jets at Bengals: The New York Jets come to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4:05 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

BENGALS LOSE in OT 20-22. Week 9: Bengals at Dolphins: The Bengals fly to Miami to play the Dolphins on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 8:25 p.m. on WLWT.

BENGALS LOSE in OT 17-20. Week 10: Bengals at Ravens: The Bengals take on the Ravens on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. in Baltimore.

BENGALS WIN 41-20. Week 11: Browns at Bengals: The Cleveland Browns come to town to play the Bengals on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

Week 12: Bye: The Bengals get a bye on Sunday, Nov. 24.

BENGALS WIN 17-10. Week 13: Bengals at Chargers: The Bengals fly to San Diego to play the Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 4:25 p.m.

BENGALS WIN 42-28. Week 14: Colts at Bengals: In a rematch from the preseason, the Colts play the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

BENGALS LOSE 20-30. Week 15: Bengals at Steelers: The Bengals head to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 8:30 p.m. on WLWT.

BENGALS WIN 42-14. Week 16: Vikings at Bengals: The Vikings come to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

BENGALS WIN 34-17. Week 17: Ravens at Bengals: The Ravens come to the Queen City to end the regular season on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

BENGALS LOSE 27-10. Playoff round 1: #6 Chargers at #3 Bengals. For the second time in a month, the Bengals will play the Chargers. This time the game will be in Cincinnati. It's the first home playoff game the team has hosted since 2009. The game kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium.

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